At the Bottom of Pandora's Box
is a Worm and Care Bears crossover story by NullenVoid -0 the same author as Oogway's Little Owl, The Exodus, No Plumbers Allowed, and Operation: B.U.T.T.E.R.F.L.Y., hosted on Archive of Our Own. In it the Care Bears have been doing their best to counteract Earth Bet's fall into negativity, but despite giving it their all they've barely been able to slow things down. So now they're trying a new approach...
This work contains examples of:
- Been There, Shaped History: Subverted. The Care Bears have been involved in the origins of several major heroes and villains... but usually by failing to be able to help them.
- The future Alexandria stopped being able to see them shortly before receiving her offer to join Cauldron.
- They were unable to get the future Miss Militia to see them, resulting in her friends dying while she was trying to guide them out of a minefield. This was the incident that caused her to Trigger in canon.
- They were rejected by a boy implied to be a young Armsmaster.
- They were helping Riley, the future Bonesaw, but she was abducted by the Slaughterhouse 9 in between visits, which they found out when they visited her house and came back covered in blood.
- On a more positive note, they were friends with the future Mouse Protector, even being there when she Triggered, and she still has fond memories of them. Their influence lead her to become a kind, caring hero, to the point that she can still see them as an adult.
- Entertainingly Wrong: When Scion first appears, depressed about Eden, the Caring Meter drops by about half. Funshine suggests that someone out there must be really sad about something, but another Bear, dismissive of the idea that someone not as large as a country could affect the meter that much, floats the idea that another villain is planning something. Technically, they’re both right, but Funshine is correct in that one being, Scion, is responsible for the drop.
- Godzilla Threshold: Things on Earth Bet have gotten bad enough that the Care Bears decide to be more proactive in seeking out threats, even trying out a new method of patrolling and even fighting threats instead of just defending themselves, in order to try and make a difference.
- Ironic Name: Secret Bear lampshades that "Protectorate" is a stupid name for a hero team, since a protectorate is a state that gets protection, not a provider of protection. According to Mouse Protector, some members of the PRT made the same complaint when it was first founded.
- Meaningful Name: Mouse Protector's first name is Minerva, though she goes by Minnie.
- Must Have Caffeine: Best Friend Bear is completely addicted to coffee, drinking it almost constantly. When she mixes up Taylor's decaf with her own order, she actually falls asleep then and there before Taylor can finish her sentence about the accidental switch.
- Perception Filter: The Care Bears have a method of disguising their presence on Earth if need be. Best Friend Bear can even enter a café and order coffee without anyone not in on it noticing anything out of the ordinary.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Due to the horrors they have seen since Scion's arrival, several Care Bears have become this.
- Villains Act, Heroes React: It's lampshaded that the Care Bears have been reactionary in the past, only moving after something bad has already happened. Scuffle Bear's idea is that they start patrolling like the heroes on Earth do, in order to be more proactive in seeking out issues to fix.
